DON’T MOVE on Netflix is a horror-thriller with a small cast and a very intense story. The trailer teases the plot but there’s much more to it. Also, it’s produced by Sam Raimi. Read our full Don’t Move movie review here!
DON’T MOVE is a new Netflix horror-thriller produced by iconic horror master Sam Raimi (Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell). The cast is tiny with two core characters, but that only makes for a more intense and engaging story.
Even the runtime of just around an hour and a half works perfectly. I always enjoy these survival movies, but have gotten used to there being a lull or some dumb decisions. Well, not for this one. Great for genre fans who enjoy a good thrill!
Continue reading our Don’t Move movie review below. Find it on Netflix on October 25, 2024.
Finding the will to survive
When Don’t Move opens, it’s with a grieving woman (Kelsey Asbille) who just wants to be left alone. She goes hiking deep in an isolated forest where memories haunt her when encountering a stranger (Finn Wittrock).
Charming and kind at first, he turns into the villain of the movie very quickly when he injects her with a paralytic agent. The drug will make her body shut down gradually, so she needs to get as far away from him as possible before she can no longer move.
This is largely what we know from the plot and the trailer, but I’m happy to say (without giving away spoilers) that the movie goes beyond that. Quite a lot beyond that and it’s smart which not all survival horror-thrillers of this variety are!
While the woman, Iris, may start out as being ready to give up on life, she finds the will to live when someone tries to take it away from her.
A survival story in real-time
With the runtime of Don’t Move matching the time span of the storyline, this is essentially a Netflix horror thriller that plays out in real-time. As viewers, we just need to hang on for the ride. And it is one crazy ride.
In real life, there are three classic reactions when encountering danger; Fight, flight, or freeze. While we see that Iris is clearly a fighter and then a “flighter”, when she must be, she becomes forced to deal with “freeze” as she literally cannot move.
Iris is constantly confronted with a new seemingly impossible obstacle, and while there are many setbacks, it doesn’t become stupid or gratuitous. I was nervous that it would be, so I was extremely pleased with the outcome of this Netflix movie.
Of course, the fact that one of the characters has been given a paralytic drug also means that she can hardly move for much of the movie. This requires a lot of the actor portraying her – and anyone acting across from her – but the cast is pure magic.
The cast of Netflix’s Don’t Move
Kelsey Asbille is perfect as Iris and should be a hero for many women, while men will surely hope that the women in their lives will react as she does. I know Kelsey Asbille has been in hugely popular series like Yellowstone and Fargo.
To me, she’s still first and foremost the girl from Hayley Kiyoko’s music video “Girls Like Girls” and then Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River (2017).
Well, she was, because now (as an adult), she is the amazing lead from Don’t Move. The woman can act more with just her eyes than others can manage with every muscle in their body.
As the villain, who is also a nuanced character but a very definitive villain, we have Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story, Luckiest Girl Alive). This is a great role for him and he delivers exactly what it needs.
In other roles, we see Moray Treadwell (The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Daniel Francis (Harlan Coben’s Stay Close). Overall, there are no stupid characters, so the actors are fortunate to get a lot to work with. Even the smaller roles!
Watch Don’t Move on Netflix now!
Don’t Move was co-directed by Brian Netto and Adam Schindler (50 States of Fright, Delivery: The Beast Within). They also helped work out the entire concept alongside the screenwriters of the film: T.J. Cimfel and David White (Shut In).
Admittedly, I never would’ve thought that two men could’ve directed something written by two other men, where a woman is so amazing. But hey, I do love it when expectations and assumptions are put to shame. They made an amazing movie!
Also, I cannot compliment Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock enough. They play so extremely well off of each other. Neither of them ever gives in but uses all their skills to keep that tension alive and palpable throughout. Do not miss out on Don’t Move!
Don’t Move is out on Netflix on October 25, 2024.
Details
Directors: Brian Netto, Adam Schindler
Writers: T.J. Cimfel, David White
Stars: Kelsey Asbille, Finn Wittrock, Moray Treadwell, Daniel Francis
Plot
Injected with a powerful paralytic agent that will soon render her immobile, a grieving woman fights to escape from a cold-blooded killer.
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